Game Of The Year - An Open Thank You!

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by Venan, Jan 7, 2011.

  1. Venan

    Venan Well-Known Member

    Jan 13, 2010
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    Dear Touch Arcade,

    I cannot begin to describe what a surprise, delight and honor it is to have Space Miner selected as your Game of the Year. Surprise doesn’t even really begin to describe it, honestly. It’s not that I didn’t think we had a good game, or even a great game, but it’s a game that has largely flown under the mainstream radar. And with all the incredible games that came out in the past year, it seemed a long stretch that a game that had its heyday last February would even have a shot. It’s thus that even now I’m shocked to be in the position of writing something like this.

    Space Miner was a strange game to develop – in a sense it was almost more like an exercise in game design than anything else. It started as a rather poor asteroids game with a weird control gimmick we had come up with that had you turning the iPhone every which way to aim your shots. Once we realized that sucked, it turned into “What can we do to make this game fun?” We went back to the drawing board, pulled ideas from a lot of different genres, and in the end we created a game that nobody really expected when we started. In all honesty, if I knew how much time and money was going to go into this game when we started, we would never have made it. Heck, I didn’t even like Asteroids as a kid!

    We like to think it’s not quite like any game out there. And if it is, it’s an accident. However, if you were to ask us the thing we’re most proud of, I think it’s that we created a unique game that didn’t require any sacrifices. When looking at what I call the “core gaming” category on the iPhone, meaning those games aiming to deliver a deeper game experience, you frequently run into games that are done pretty well “for an iPhone game”, meaning it’s a poor second cousin to a console or PC game experience.

    With Space Miner, we never felt that was the case, and other than wanting a bigger screen, I don’t think anyone ever felt like they were playing a worse version of a console game, or that they were giving something up with controls or graphics or sound when playing the game on their device. They liked (or disliked) the game entirely on its content, not its execution. Gamers shouldn't be punished for playing a game on their iPhone, and I think it's something all the good iPhone games get right. As a design goal, that’s pretty important for us, and hopefully it’s something we achieved.

    We don’t get to make nearly as many independent games as we'd like, but as an official announcement – yes, we are working on Space Miner 2. And it will not just be like Space Miner 1 with more stuff. We are re-making the game from the ground up to make it bigger and better than ever. There is no stone unturned in this sequel, and we intend to make it the gold standard of asteroid mining RPGs against which all others will be measured! (We find the conspicuous absence of other companies in this genre in no way a deterrent to our lofty goals). Expect it sometime in the second half of this year :)

    In closing, I’d just like to extend our sincere thanks to the staff of Touch Arcade and the tremendous community here. Space Miner would not have seen a tenth of its success without the huge groundswell of support we received here at launch. It was surprising then, and this award is even more surprising now, but we are thankful from the bottom of our hearts. And for those that feel our game is undeserving, or overrated – we’ll be working hard to change your mind with the sequel!

    Thanks Touch Arcade!

    Brandon
     
  2. Paradiso

    Paradiso Well-Known Member

    Cant wait for the sequel :)

    Thanks for a great game!
     
  3. vbxz47

    vbxz47 Well-Known Member

    May 28, 2009
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    Ohio
    I want to say your welcome it is a pretty good game overall and very well balanced. Not many apps were so this year and that's why I believe your app won game of the year.
     
  4. Andylasian

    Andylasian Well-Known Member

    Aug 3, 2010
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    High School
    California
    Same here. Space Miner 2 will be amazing.
     
  5. backtothis

    backtothis im in ur base killin ur d00dz
    Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold Patreon Bronze

    Jul 13, 2009
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    college student (junior)
    Houston/Austin, TX
    Honestly, it was very well deserved. You guys released a game that put you on par, and higher, than the hard hitters large companies were putting out at the time. Another round of applause for a true AppStore gem. Very nice letter as well. You're definitely welcome.
     
  6. eugekava

    eugekava Well-Known Member

    Jul 8, 2009
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    Melbourne, Australia
    I was actually relieved that it was Space Miner, as I thought it was the most deserving game.
     
  7. alchemistrpm

    alchemistrpm Well-Known Member

    Oct 13, 2010
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    #7 alchemistrpm, Jan 7, 2011
    Last edited: Jan 7, 2011
    :D

    I expect Space Miner's trademark humor will live on in the sequel. Congrats. You have my future download regardless of any editorial award. Keep on keepin on.
     
  8. Simon Potticary

    Simon Potticary Well-Known Member

    Jul 19, 2010
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    East London
    #8 Simon Potticary, Jan 7, 2011
    Last edited: Jan 7, 2011
    I bought my first iPhone (3GS) in February and along with Minigore, Space Miner was among the very first batch of games I bought on the App Store. For some reason, it was a slow burner for me - the very first time I played it, I think I even regretted spending the £2.99 outlay. But a couple of days later, I gave it another (this time more prolonged) pop, and that was it, I was hooked. Over the next 2 days, I earned my wifes wrath as I hardly put it down. Standing in queue's, during TV show commercial breaks, waiting for the kettle to boil and sitting on the loo, I used every opportunity to get my Space Miner fix. Throughout my gaming lifetime, through all the years of Atari ST, Acorn Electron, ZX Spectrum, Commadore 64, SNES, Gameboy, Megadrive, Dreamcast, Gamecube, PS1, Xbox, PS2, PSP, PS3, Xbox 360 and now iPhone 4, no game before or since has gripped me in quite the same way that Space Miner: Space Ore Bust did. And I've played through it again 5 or 6 times since. My 14 year old daughter loves it too, and having played through it a couple of times, she's now moved on to it's quick-hit, all action sister, Space Miner Blast. As huge fans of the original, to say we're both really looking forward to the upcoming sequel would be the understatement of 2011 so far. But I'll say one thing about it; with Venans clear commitment and admirable ambition, and if the first installment is anything at all to go by, we're in for one hell of a treat. Roll on H2 2011, I can't wait.
     
  9. Watabou

    Watabou Well-Known Member

    Dec 14, 2008
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    I love space miner! I didn't think mining would be this fun! At first, it looked boring from the screenshots and when everyone started recommending the game in the what to buy thread, I gave it a shot and never looked back.

    The gameplay, the humor, the controls, the story, everything is perfectly done.
    Looking forward to the sequel! I hope all the humor and the speech style carries over to the sequel!

    To anyone who didn't get the game yet: what the hell are you waiting for?! :D
     
  10. Mike Wagstaff

    Mike Wagstaff Member

    Dec 6, 2008
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    Definitely the best iPhone game I've played. Congrats, Brandon! :)
     
  11. itman

    itman Well-Known Member

    Sep 3, 2009
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    Space miner didn't deserve it!!!! Na just kidding, it was a great game, well deserved.
     
  12. Grubjelly

    Grubjelly Well-Known Member

    Jun 19, 2009
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    Congratulations Lord Venan. Quality curries all around to your and your team.
     
  13. madmud101

    madmud101 Well-Known Member

    Dec 30, 2009
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    Great to hear the back story.

    Thoroughly enjoyed SM, can't wait for the sequel!
     
  14. Osujxu

    Osujxu Well-Known Member

    Apr 11, 2010
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    congrats venan you guys totally deserve the award. keep it going guys!
     
  15. ImNoSuperMan

    ImNoSuperMan Well-Known Member

    Jun 28, 2009
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    It was well deserved. No other game on appstore gripped me like SM did. Couldnt stop before I finished it. Space miner 2 will be an insta buy for sure as will any other Venan game :)
     
  16. funkynubman

    funkynubman Well-Known Member

    Nov 15, 2009
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    News Reporter/ Superhero
    Right. Behind. You.
    My thought process before I saw the GOTY:

    1. Oh no. It can't be Infinity Blade. Please. No.

    2. Hey... what are the chances of Space Miner?

    3. No. They must have forgotten that one. Crap.

    4. What other game could possibly be the best of the year?

    5. It better not be one of those Big-Developer Console games that rip off others.

    6. Whatever. It's decided now, I'm looking, nothing can change it now.

    7. O M G It's freakin Space Miner yes yes yes yes yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D:D:D:D:D:):cool::eek::p:p:eek::):):):D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     
  17. 12yam

    12yam Well-Known Member

    Sep 30, 2010
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    Toronto
    infinity blade was not the subpar game that a lot of people on these forums accuse it of being. it by far lived up to the hype, so can people please stop hating on it?? oh, and congrats to space miner!! :p
     
  18. backtothis

    backtothis im in ur base killin ur d00dz
    Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold Patreon Bronze

    Jul 13, 2009
    13,250
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    college student (junior)
    Houston/Austin, TX
    #18 backtothis, Jan 13, 2011
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2011
    Took the time to replay the game after reading this article in midst of my 150+ unplayed paid apps that are on my ipod..simply amazing all over again. If you don't have this game, grab it and find out what it's all about. Pure fun for quite a few hours. It was definitely worth sparing another 8 hours.
     
  19. Zallman

    Zallman Well-Known Member

    Aug 2, 2009
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    Observer
    Alaska
    I remember the day Space Miner came out..
    I bought it and promptly spent the night lying in bed next to my sleeping wife, trying to get just a little bit further until about 5am until I had to sleep for a bit.

    Great game, great support. You deserve the recognition!
    -
     
  20. Oxynidus

    Oxynidus Well-Known Member

    Dec 11, 2010
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    Dear Venan,

    You have created a perfection. It's the one single iOS game I can't think of any bad things to say about. I am very grateful for the perfectly-ported HD version you've recently released, and I was glad to re-purchase the game if only to support your great work. Thank you.
     

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